While On The Path

Master has been taking good care of me ever since I came to study in France two years ago. Because I have Master, I have been able to get enough courage and have had good fortune to face life in a foreign land, to deal with the pressure of studying in a strange environment, and accept the challenge of the unknown. Because I have Master, I have come to understand better the Truth about life and the true meaning of, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Two years ago in winter, I came to this beautiful and romantic nation. Paris is a city of the arts. There is a local meditation center. This was the best choice for my first trip to study abroad. For unknown reasons, I suddenly contracted acute anemia, which I never had in all my twenty years.

During my illness, I continued to attend classes and go to the meditation center everyday. I was even surprised that I can withstand over twenty hours of flying only to participate in the 7-Day Retreat in Formosa. I also played a role in a drama produced by practitioners from France. Strangely, ever since I saw Master on the first day of the 7-Day Retreat, my illness and waist aches vanished.

This reminded me of the miracles performed by Jesus in the Bible. Master didn't do anything and my illnesses were cured. Ah! Master! Thank You! Your miracles are miracles without doing! I was born a Catholic, so what I am trying to say is that what Jesus could do, You can also do, and even do it better without a trace.

Master, I adore You! Hallelujah! You not only take care of our souls, You also take good care of our bodies.

During Master's Celestial Clothes Fashion Show last year, my French was still very lousy. However, I was able to guide the work team from Formosa through the streets of Paris and to arrange living quarters for practitioners from other countries. Naturally, I was blamed for taking on too much responsibility while I was still not familiar with the city. But, I just wanted to help, especially when there weren't enough people to do the work at the beginning. I couldn't care too much how good my French was or how well I knew Paris, I only knew I did everything for Master and let God take care of everything!

My French improved noticeably after the fashion show. When I travelled with friends during the summer, I was able to discuss a complicated problem regarding ticketing mistakes with the supervisor of a train station. Meanwhile I sent out applications to universities in an attempt to enrol in some suitable course.

While I was waiting for a response, I endured a lot of invisible pressure. I had to meditate at least five hours a day in order to thoroughly relax and get through this most tense and unsettled period.

One day I received a phone call from the Dean of the Department of Theatrics at Strasbourg University inviting me to go for a written test and interview. After I had been accepted, I was still hoping to go to a university in southern France. Everyday I looked at Master's photograph and prayed, "I leave it up to You, but I would prefer to go to southern France."

One night I almost heard Master's voice say, "You going to Strasbourg has been predestined. Don't be too picky!" Since then, I dared not think too much. Submissively, I packed my bags and came to this beautiful city near the German border.

I really didn't quite understand why God sent me to this strange place without any initiates. I thought there must be good reasons, except I still didn't know what they were.

Fortunately, I have three great professors. When I was taking the exam for "The Study of Beauty in Theater," I stated some of Master's teachings. I thought my ability to express myself in French was limited, but I was an expert when talking about Master's teachings, which are suitable for any subject. Consequently, the professor commented, "Correct conception... can be argued further with more examples." Of course, I passed this test with flying colors.

There is a river named "L'Ill," which surrounds the center of the city. Many swans, ducks, sea gulls and pigeons live in it. The swans are very spiritual. Whenever I went for a ride along the riverside with my pink bike, which is covered with Master's photographs and aphorisms, a flock of swans would follow me although I had no bread in my hands. I couldn't help but assume that they came to look at Master's photographs. Pointing to the photographs, I said to the swans, "Come! Look at Master!" They seemed to understand me and swam towards me, tilting their heads to look at Master's photographs.

It snowed heavily a few days ago. In the falling snow, I rode my bike while looking at the silvery ground and the snow covered roof and tree tops. How beautiful! Not a bit aware of the danger of biking in the snow, I quietly enjoyed the baptism of my soul. Watching the floating snowflakes, I heard Master's voice singing, "Wherever you go, remember me when the rain falls..."

The next day, I went to the riverside again with my bike. The snow lay ten inches thick on the ground. The spiritually-minded flock of swans quickly swam towards me. They all looked at Master's photographs as if they were seeing an old friend.

This is a city with a peaceful atmosphere. Someone told me vegetarianism is widespread here. Even the swans long for liberation I think, not to mention the human beings. My intuition tells me there will be fellow initiates here in the future.

This place is about 500 kilometers from Paris. As a student, it's not convenient for me to attend group meditations in Paris. Yet I practice more diligently than ever. I dare not get lazy because spiritual practice and daily living are not always easy going. Only after many struggles can our wisdom grow. Therefore, I accept the hardships with understanding and don't feel miserable.

Believe in the "universal plan." Do not forcibly ask for something. Leave everything in God's hands. This is my strong belief after living in a relatively isolated place. There is nothing to be afraid of when you follow Master. Master always comes up with some small miracle which will make you laugh when you are ready to cry.

It is said in the Bible, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, but I want to say even more strongly: I have no fear, for I have my Master!

I would like to express the sense of happiness and gratitude I feel from the bottom of my heart for being able to engage in the work of publishing the Japanese version of Master's teachings.

Since the international book fair in Tokyo in February, a brother of the book circulation group wished that the latest magazine could be published in time for distribution at the fair. At that time, I got a call from another brother in the translation group saying that after he received the latest magazine, he just went ahead to translate the "Spot Light" section, on his own initiative without discussing it with anyone.

Not long later, this fellow practitioner's younger brother, who is also a member of the translation group, said to me that he would like to translate edition 54 of the News magazine for distribution at the book fair. All of us felt Master's guidance inside, and tried our best to translate the parts which covered Master's speeches. We thought that even if we could not publish the magazine in time it was all right, but we knew that after all it was a challenge for us.

Then the task to work on edition 54 began immediately. In a short time and with only a few of us, we completed the task of love effectively because we all worked with one heart. Also, we received very enthusiastic cooperation from a platemaking company and a printing company. Finally the task was completed the day before the book fair was to open.

Master always teaches us through various ways. From this experience we learnt that we possess the ability to achieve anything if we put our wisdom to work. Usually we think too much, and possibilities become doomed to impossibilities.

It was indeed very hard to translate Master's teachings into Japanese. Whether the original text was in Chinese or English, the subtle meaning of the translations were often different. Having received inspiration and invisible blessings from Master, we were able to overcome barriers in languages. Perhaps the translation work was something that we needed to do.

With the availability of the texts translated into Japanese, we Japanese can learn and understand Master's teachings, and this helps us grow. This was really an important lesson for us. Completing the translation work quickly and accurately, we know that we are growing up. We are taught and elevated by the teachings of love, and are guided in the right direction. Continually feeling the unfathomable love, I devote myself to true spiritual practice and to Master's work.

Master, thank You very much!

After I migrated from mainland China to Hawaii, I had the blessing to read Master's sample booklet, which led me onto the spiritual path. Like a street-light illuminating my road, the Supreme Master Ching Hai News is like my good companion on the spiritual path.

I had no experience at the initiation, but I continued with the vegetarian diet, meditated everyday, and went every week to the group meditation. However, I still did not feel I was making any progress, and I couldn't figure out why. Whenever I was feeling perplexed and emotional, I would quickly pick up Master's books to study Her teachings, and also read other initiates' experiences. In this way, I managed to steady my mind and persist with the practice.

I always anxiously await the arrival of the News magazine each month. This evening, I received the News and read the Chinese edition immediately as I came up in the elevator. I was extremely delighted by the first article that I read: "A Spiritual World Really Exists!" written by a fellow practitioner from Shanxi, China. In it the fellow brother wrote that he had no experience at the initiation because he was expecting something miraculous, and so he couldn't maintain his ordinary mind. Feeling disappointed, his faith wavered. Later, he received encouragement from his wife's brother which helped him re-establish his faith, and subsequently he had very good experiences.

This article pointed out what was wrong with me, and gave me confidence. Isn't it so obvious that Master was guiding me to advance through this article? This was a sharp warning and a good experience for me. News magazines are good companions and bright lamps guiding the road on my spiritual path. I enthusiastically shouted that Supreme Master Ching Hai magazine is now biweekly!